Jalandhar: For Bobby Kumar and his son Shiva, residents of Tarn Taran, the story of slain human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra is deeply personal. They believe Khalra’s story also shines a light on countless families like theirs that lost loved ones to alleged fake encounters and enforced disappearances in Punjab in 1980s and 1990s.Bobby’s elder brother, Gulshan Kumar, a fruit vendor from Tarn Taran, was allegedly killed in a fake encounter by Tarn Taran police in 1993. More than three decades later, in June 2024, a former DIG and a former DSP of Punjab Police were convicted and sentenced in the case after the family’s long legal battle spanning three generations.“I could watch the movie ‘Satluj’ only partially before it was pulled down. Now I am looking for downloaded versions,” said Shiva, 26, who represents the third generation of the family pursuing the case. Diljit Dosanjh-starrer Satluj, based on Khalra’s life and earlier titled ‘Punjab 95’, was taken down from an OTT platform within 48 hours of its release after a name change.“The world should know the story of Khalra and through him scores of stories like our family,” said Bobby and Shiva while speaking to TOI on Monday.Bobby earns a living by driving a rented autorickshaw, while Shiva is currently looking for employment. The case relating to Gulshan Kumar’s death was among the 35 cases registered by the CBI after the Supreme Court ordered an investigation into alleged mass disappearances and encounter killings, an issue that gained national attention following Khalra’s own disappearance in 1995.The family’s quest for justice was led for years by Gulshan’s father, Chaman Lal, who refused to give up despite financial hardships and prolonged legal delays. He died on July 1, 2016 — just a day before trial proceedings in the case were set to resume after remaining stalled for 16 years, first in the high court and later in the Supreme Court. His last wish, family members said, was to see justice delivered in his son’s case. The apex court had stayed trial proceedings in 2003 and lifted the stay in May 2016.According to the case records, Gulshan was picked up from his home by police on June 22, 1993, and remained in custody for a month. On July 22, 1993, he was killed along with three other youths — including brothers Jarnail Singh and Karnail Singh, and one Harjinder Singh — near the Palasaur Drain in Tarn Taran.Even while struggling to make ends meet, Chaman Lal remained steadfast in his legal fight. In Feb 2011, he even wrote to then Chief Justice of India seeking speedy disposal of the case and assistance in securing justice. Family members recall that he often lamented how the accused officers had secured bail and continued to receive promotions while victims’ families continued to wait for justice.After Chaman Lal’s death, his son Parveen Kumar took forward the legal battle. Following Parveen’s death in Feb 2023, the responsibility passed to Shiva.In June 2024, a special CBI court in Mohali convicted then Tarn Taran DSP Dilbag Singh, who later retired as a DIG, and then Tarn Taran City SHO Gurbachan Singh, who later retired as a DSP, under Sections 302, 364, 201 and 218 of the IPC. Dilbag Singh was sentenced to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment, while Gurbachan Singh was awarded life imprisonment. Three other accused police personnel — SI Balbir Singh and ASIs Arjan Singh and Devinder Singh — died during the course of the trial.“Now the appeals are pending in the Punjab and Haryana high court and I attend the hearings there while Khalra Mission Organization actively helps us,” said Shiva.Late Chaman Lal remained the organising secretary of the Khalra Mission Organisation and was a prominent voice against alleged fake encounters in Punjab.
